Vinay Singh, an Indian footballer who went unnoticed back in 2019 when he joined the third-tier club of Slovakia, MFK Zvolen. Recently, in an exclusive interview with IFTWC, Vinay Singh spoke about his footballing journey till now and more.
Born and bought up in the national capital Delhi, Vinay started playing football at a very young age itself. He later joined Baichung Bhutia Football School to further develop his talent.
“I used to watch the school team playing football and that was the moment decided to get on with the sport. I grew up watching Sergio Ramos and that’s why I wanted to play in the same position as him.
“Baichung Bhutia Football School played a big role for me as the training was more focused on technical aspects which is very important for a young footballer like me. Now it feels, I would have joined a bit earlier and could have helped more,” said Vinay.
In 2017, Vinay joined Madhya Pradesh SC and later made his move to Fateh Hyderabad U-18. In the 2018-19 season, he was signed by ARA FC for I-League second division campaign.
“It was a very short time with Hyderabad U-18, but I enjoyed it. ARA FC was a second chance for me after Madhya Pradesh SC. Our coach Vivek Nagul believed in me and helped me in defending techniques and other improvements. Game time was the major reason for me to improve as a player.“
Vinay made 14 appearances in total for both Madhya Pradesh SC and ARA FC in I-League second division 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively.
Who doesn’t dream to play in the leagues of Europe? Every Indian footballer has and will continue to chase this dream. Back in 2019 itself, it was a dream moment for Vinay when he joined MFK Zvolen, the third tier club of Slovakian football.
“Indeed! That was the major turnover in my life when my dream of playing in Europe finally came true,” smiling Vinay told IFTWC, “It was a feeling of joy and happiness when this move happened. I went far from my family for the very first time. Me being the Asian there it was difficult for me due to language barriers. In the beginning, I wasn’t ready for the first team so I was placed in the U-19 to train. But, the coach helped me the most in many aspects. It took me a while to adjust and I made my debut appearance in league with the senior team in September 2019.“
“The major difference is that the league is more systematic and long in period. The top tier league is a completely different thing to speak of, but even the third tier is of 10 months and includes 30 games comprising of the league, cup, and pre-season. This is more or less the same till the fifth tier. We can also bring a proper system in our leagues with promotion and relegation with an increased number of games so every player can get enough game time, able to showcase his talent and ability on the field,” Vinay Singh specially mentioned, pointing out the needed development of football structure in India.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all sports have been adversely affected and football has been the topmost of them all. Usually, the season runs from September to May, including pre-season, league, and a knockout cup.
“The pandemic affected everyone. In my first season, I’ve worked my way through to start every pre-season game and had very high expectations. But this pandemic put everything to the pause and the remaining season was canceled. It was heartbreaking for me but as a professional athlete I accepted the situation to move on,” said Vinay.
“Firstly, I would love to be with my family at home. Indian Super League is a more competitive league and it will surely improve me as a player to grow more, helping me to build a bright career ahead,” concluded Vinay, speaking of his chance to play in ISL in near future.
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